Warnock wows Eatonton with campaign stop

Seating was in short supply Aug. 18, at Eatonton’s tiny and tidy Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Raphael Warnock, the junior United States senator from Georgia, addressed a receptive and enthusiastic crowd of about 140 locals.

“I like it here. I feel at home at Ebenezer Baptist Church,” Warnock said in his opening remarks to a round of applause, laughter and a chorus of amens, referring to his work as lead pastor of Atlanta’s famous and historic church of the same name, where Martin Luther King himself felt at home and Warnock still preaches most Sundays.

Warnock also is the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of Georgia. Following a visit to Milledgeville early in the day and before heading back to Atlanta after similar stops that afternoon in Conyers and Stonecrest, Warnock was in Eatonton on the campaign trail for the upcoming election. He will defend his Senate seat in November against Republican challenger Hershel Walker.

Among those in attendance were Eatonton Mayor John Reid, who introduced Warnock inside the church, and City Councilmembers Janie Reid and James Gorley.

“This is awesome. The whole day has been awesome. Reverend Warnock told us, told myself and the mayor, many, many months ago that he was definitely coming to Eatonton, so I am so honored that he lived up to his word,” Councilwoman Reid said, beaming at dozens of supporters waiting in line outside Warnock’s tour bus, while he, perfectly put together and every bit the rock star of the day, patiently posed for individual pictures with each of his fans—potential voters—once the speechmaking was over.

“I am extremely impressed with this crowd,” Reid added. “You know, I love Putman County and Eatonton. Putnam County never disappoints, and they did not disappoint today. I’m just very, very honored that these people all found the time to take away from whatever they were going to do today to be here. It’s just awesome; it speaks volumes.”

Inside the church, Warnock spoke about “deeply consequential elections;” about treasuring the “scared trust” placed in him by voters; about “working hard every day for the people of Georgia;” pretty standard campaign material, really.

But ever the preacher, he also described how “a vote is kind of a prayer for the world, for what we desire for ourselves and for our children,” adding he’s often pointed out, “democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea.”

Warnock worked the crowd like the master pastor he is, weaving down-home-tales-andphrases in with touting his record in the Senate, mentioning his roles in creating recent legislation, bipartisan efforts, and all the while keeping things relatable and making it real for the faithful who had gathered to hear his message.

“Show me a nation’s budget and I’ll show you its values, who it thinks matters and who doesn’t. This budget has a heart,” he said to a most-receptive audience.

As the crowd outside gradually dissipated, Warnock insisted he enjoyed being on the campaign trail, visiting real Georgians in real places that remind him of his reason and purpose for being in the U.S. Senate.

“It’s always an honor to come to places like Eatonton; this is the heart of America,” he said, explaining his appreciation of smalltown life stemmed from his mother being from Waycross and his dad from Burke County and later Savannah.

“You know, I’ve been moving throughout these small towns, not just during the campaign, but since the day I began my service and that’s because they help you to get it right. You gotta’ talk to the people. And if you talk to the people, you’ve got a chance to get the policy right,” Warnock said.

The real challenge, he added, lies in the tricky world of bipartisanship, cooperation with rivals— even enemies sometimes— from across the political aisles.

“You can manage to get bipartisan work done when you put the people in front of the politics, but so often in Washington it’s just the reverse,” Warnock pointed out. “It’s all about the politics. And with all due respect to those who cover us in media, too often the conversation about politics in our country is about the horse race. Who’s up, who’s down, who’s in, who’s out?

“And I don’t think the people of Georgia sent us up there to be focused on our problems; they sent us there to solve their problems. And I think if you keep that in mind, you can find yourself building some strange alliances, even if temporarily just to get something very specific done,” he continued.

“And it’s worked time and time again. And I hope to be able to do more and that goes back to seeing people in small towns like this, hearing their concerns and, you know, working literally for the people.”

Spoken like a true politician? Or a beloved preacher? With Raphael Warnock, it’ll be left for those same people to decide in November.